The present invention relates generally to safety apparatus mountable on the front of a school bus or the like and, more particularly, to apparatus which swings into outwardly extending relation with the front of the bus when the bus is stopped to load or unload children. When the safety apparatus is in its active outwardly extending position, children are forced to cross in front of the bus sufficiently far ahead of the bus that the children can be seen by the driver and thus the driver can determine when the children are clear of the path of the bus.
The prior art discloses school bus safety apparatus in which a safety arm swings from a retracted position adjacent the front of the bus to an outwardly extending position when the bus is stopped. Apparatus of this type is disclosed, for example, in Wicker U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,541. Even though the safety arm extends outwardly, children can walk around the arm and then walk directly back toward the front of the bus so as to be concealed from the driver.
Percifull U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,552 discloses safety apparatus which, when actuated to an active position, tends to fence off a generally rectangular zone in front of part of the bus. The Percifull apparatus is massive and complex in construction, is susceptible to rattling and vibration when the bus is in transit, requires hydraulic actuation, and leaves a substantial area in front of the driver's side of the bus in an unguarded condition.